Recipe#11797
Title: Biryani 01
rec.food.recipes archive
Vegetable Biryani
2 1/2 cups rice (basmati preferred)2 med-large onions, sliced real thin
To soak: in 2 cups thick yogurt, For best results: soak for 2-3 hours.
6 med tomatoes, diced
6 cardadmoms
6 cloves
6 cinnamon sticks
1 tspn turmeric
1 tspn garam masala
2 tspn coriander powder
1/2 tspn red chilli powder
1 bunch chopped coriander
1 bunch fresh mint leaves, torn
5 green chillies, slit
Grind to paste: (and add to above yogurt mix to soak)
4-5 cloves garlic, 4 green chillies, inch ginger.
Fry half the onions in a little ghee/oil until transluscent, add
washed drained rice, stir till oil coated and a little crisp. Cook
on low, low heat till 3/4 quarters done. Remove from heat.
Sliver veggies. (carrots, beans) (cauliflower in small florets)
Warm 4 tbspns oil and a litle ghee for flavor. Drop bay leaves, fennel,
star anise (a must!). Fry onions till clear. Add veggies, stir until
crisp cooked. Add yogurt mix. Salt to taste. And cook it down till thick
and spoonable.
Pre-heat oven to 400.
Spread some rice in a large aluminum baking pan, then alternate by
spreading some of the yogurt mix. Repeat, alternating rice and yogurt
mix till everything is used up. Cover tightly with foil wrap by
crimping foil over edges of pan. Bake for 30 mins.
Note: Water for cooking basmati is two times the measure of rice.
Removing rice off heat after it is three-quarters done should
leave some fluid content that will get absorbed in the baking
process. Baking allows the flavors to seep in evenly as well as
make the rice fluffy.
Serve with a raita and a light curry of your choice.
Lamb Biryani
450g / 1 lb boned tender lamb [with a little fat] cut into 4 cm /
1.5 inch pieces.
2 medium onions, skinned and roughly chopped
5 ml / 1 level tsp salt
900 ml / 1.5 pints water
1 large onion skinned and chopped
1 garlic clove, skinned
2.5 cm / 1 inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
450g / 1 lb basmati rice
45 ml / 3 level tbsp Ghee / clarified butter / butter. (Again, ghee
makes a difference, butter is a reasonable substitute.)
2 medium onions, skinned; chop 1 finely, slice the other.
2.5 cm / 1 inch stick cinammon
1 bay leaf
1 black cardamom (use 3 green if you can't find the black)
2 green cardamom
2.5 ms / 0.5 level tsp cumin seeds
2 cloves
5 ml / 1 tsp rose or kewra water
pinch saffron
15 ml / 1 Tbsp warm water water
Wash meat well under a cold tap. Place the meat, chopped medium
onions, salt and water in the heavy-based saucepan. Bring it to
the boil, and remove any scum that may form on top. Cover, reduce
heat and allow to sommer rapidly for 1 - 1.25 hours until the meat
is almost tender. Strain through a sieve, reserve the stock and the
meat and onion pulp separately. (You could do this in a pressure
cooker for 25 minutes after the first whistle.)
In a blender or food processor grind the chopped large onion,
garlic and ginger. Put the rice in a sieve and wash throughly
under a running cold tap until the water runs clear. Soak in plenty
of cold water for 30 minutes. Heat 30 ml [2 level tbsp] ghee in a
large heavy-based saucepan, add the roughly chopped onion, and
stir fry for 3-5 minutes to a golden brown. Add the ground onion
mixture and all the whole spices. Stirring frequently fry the
mixture for 4-5 minutes to a pale golden color, then add the
strained meat and onion. Increase heat slightly and stirring
continuously, fry the mixture for 5-10 minutes to a deep golden
brown color. THe meat should brown well; if it tends to stick to
the bottom of the pan add about 30 ml [2 Tbsp] of water at a time
to prevent this.
Drain the rice in a sieve and let it stand for a minute or two. Add
to meat and onion mixture and continue frying for another few
minutes so that the rice begins to turn a plae golden color.
Leave the rice and meat in the pan, carefully pour in the meat
stock and top it up with enough water to cover the rice by 2.5 cm
[1 inch]. Cover the pan with a close fitting lid, reduce heat and
allow to cook for about 20 minutes until both the rice and meat
are almost tender. Stand well back to avoid the steam, remove the
lid and sprinkle the rose or kewara water on top. Replace lid
quickly and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
In the meantime infuse the saffron in the warm water. Once again
remove the lid, pour in the infused saffron water and cover.
Continue cooking the rice for another 3-4 minutes until it is
tender and the water has been absorbed. Turn off the heat and let
the rice stand, covered, for a few minutes. Remove the lid and
gently fork the rice. This will also help to distribute the
saffron color.
Meanwhile, heat the remaining ghee in a small frying pan, add
finely sliced onion, and fry quickly to a crips golden brown. Serve
the Biryani hot with the crisply fried onion sprinkled on top.
Serving suggestion: serve accompanied only by plain yogurt.
Chicken Biryani
6 onions, medium sized
4 garlic cloves, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 piece ginger, 2 inches long, peeled and chopped
10 cloves, whole
20 peppercorns, black, whole
seeds from 8 whole cardamom pods
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp coriander, ground
1 tsp cumin ground
1 tsp poppy seeds, whole
1/4 tsp mace, ground
4 1/2 tsp salt
3 Tbsp lemon juice
8 oz plain yogurt
8 Tbsp vegetable oil
2 bay leaves
4 cardamoms, large, black (if available)
2 lb chicken legs and breasts
2 tsp leaf saffron, roasted and crumbled
2 Tbsp milk
2 cup long-grain rice
2 Tbsp golden raisins, fried
2 Tbsp blanched almonds
2 eggs, hard-boiled, sliced or quartered
Peel and coarsely chop 3 of the onions. Place chopped onion,
garlic, and ginger in an electric blender, along with the cloves,
peppercorns, the seeds only from the 8 cardamoms, cinnamon, coriander,
cumin, poppy seeds, mace, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and the lemon juice.
Blend all of these at high speed until you have a smooth paste.
Place this paste in a large bowl. Add the yogurt and mix well.
Now peel the 3 remaining onions. Slice them into very fine rings,
and halve all the rings.
In a 10-inch heavy-bottomed skillet, heat the oil over medium flame.
When hot, add the bay leaves and 4 black cardamoms. Fry for about
10 to 15 seconds. Now put in the onions and fry them, stirring,
for about 10 minutes or until they get brown and crisp (but not
burned). Remove them carefully with a slotted spoon, squeezing
out as much of the oil as possible. Reserve all the onion-flavored
oil, the black cardamoms, and the bay leaves. You will need them
later. Mix in two-thirds of the fried onions with the marinade
paste. Place the rest on a paper towel to drain. Set aside for
garnishing. Remove skin from the chicken legs and breasts. Cut
the legs into two pieces each (drumstick and thigh), and quarter
all the breasts. Pierce the chicken pieces with a fork and place
in the bowl with the marinade paste. Mix well. Cover the bowl
and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Turn occasionally.
After 2 hours (or more), remove the bowl from the refrigerator and
place all its contents in a 3-4-quart heavy-bottomed pot. Bring
slowly to a boil, cover, lower heat, and simmer for 15 minutes.
Remove only the chicken pieces, place them in a 5-quart casserole
dish, and cover. Set aside. On a medium flame, boil down the
marinade paste, stirring, until you have about 9 to 10 tablespoons
left. Spoon the paste over the chicken. Cover again.
Preheat oven to 300 F.
Soak the saffron in 2 tablespoons hot (not boiling) milk. Bring
about 13 cups water with 3 teaspoons of salt to a boil in a 4-quart
pot, then add the rice. After it has come to a boil again, cook
5 minutes, timing very carefully (the rice must not cook through).
Drain the rice in a colander, then place it on top of the chicken
in the casserole. Pour the saffron milk over the rice, streaking
it with orange lines. Spoon out the onion-flavored oil from the
pan, reserving a level tablespoon to fry the raisins if you like.
Sprinkle the oil, cardamom, and bay leaves over the rice. Cover
the casserole dish with aluminum foil, cut 2 inches wider than the
rim of the dish. Now put the lid on and use the protuding foil
edges to seal the dish as best you can by crinkling it and pushing
it against the sides. Bake 1 hour.
Garnishes: There are several garnishes that can ber used for biryani;
you can use them all, or only what you like, but the fried onions
are a must. If you wish to use raisins, you can fry them in a
tablespoon of the onion-flavored oil just after you have fried the
onions.
BIRYANI
1/4 cup butter
2 onions, chopped
1" piece ginger, peeled and finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 Tbsp. coriander seed, crushed
1 tsp. cardamom seeds, crushed
1 tsp. peppercorn, ground
3" long cinnamon stick
1 lb. lamb, boneless, cut into bite-size pieces
4 oz. dried apricots, cut in half
4 oz. raisins
2 oz. cashew nuts
2 oz. slivered almonds
2 bay leaves
1 tsp. salt
2 cups chicken stock
2 cups uncooked basmati rice, (approx. 4 cups cooked rice)
3 Tbsp. butter, melted
1/2 tsp. saffron threads, soaked in 2 Tbsp. boiling water for 10 minutes
2 oz. pistachio nuts (or almonds or pecans)
Melt the butter in a large, heavy skillet. Lightly saute the
onions, ginger, and garlic for about 5 minutes--till the onions
are translucent. Add cumin, coriander, cardamom, peppercorns, and
cinnamon stick, and saute for about 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
Add the lamb cubes to the spice mixture. Saute for about 10 minutes,
until seared and brown. Add apricots, raisins, cashews, half the
almonds, bay leaves, and salt. Add the chicken stock, cover and
simmer until lamb is tender, about 35 minutes. Remove from heat
and discard bay leaves and cinnamon stick.
In a large casserole dish (3+ quart), pour 1 Tbsp. melted butter.
Put 1/3 of rice in the bottom. Sprinkle with 1/3 of the saffron
water. Cover with half the meat and fruit mixture. Add another
third of the rice and saffron water. Add the remaining meat and
fruit mixture, reserving the pan juices. Finish with a layer of
rice, sprinled with remaining saffron water. Pour pan juices over
the top. Sprinkly with pistachios, remaining alminds, and remaining
melted butter. Cover and bake for 20 to 30 minutes at 350 F.
Enjoy!